Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Sand & Sea - Dunwich

Something a little different from me for August, because Papermaze is taking a break from the usual monthly kit.  I have chosen to create my design team layouts with products from The Simple Stories - Simple Vintage Sand and Sea collection. 

On Wednesday 29^th July 2026, we spent a leisurely morning on the beach at Dunwich on the east coast. Little did we know that the surrounding heathland would catch fire later the same day.

A statement by the National Trust:
“On 29 July, a wildfire started, which later spread onto Dunwich Heath and the entire landscape was engulfed in flames. A place loved for its sweeping purple heather and rare wildlife has been left scarred almost beyond recognition.

The devastation is heart breaking.

Precious habitat is damaged and vulnerable; an area estimated to be the size of 210 football pitches has been affected. As one of the UK's most important coastal heathland landscapes, it is home to nightjars, Dartford warblers, adders, common lizards and rare heathland insects.”

I started by cutting the barcode strip from the Beach Life paper. Then I laid a 2" band of burlap across the middle of the layout.

From the Tag Elements paper, I selected four tags and cut them out. I chose tags in natural colours to complement the background paper. The tags were inked with Faded Jeans Distress Ink. I punched a hole in the top of each tag, applied an eyelet and arranged them across the layout, with the plain sides up. I attached the tags with 3D Foam pads. I threaded some thick Jute twine through the tags, catching it down with some wet glue in placed between the tags.

I trimmed three small photos and placed them evenly and ventrally across the tags, leaving a gap at each end. The gap on the right was filled with journalling. On the right I added an element from the Cardstock Sticker - Icons sheet.

I trimmed the phrase 'Salty Kisses + sandy Toes' from another tag on the Tag Elements sheet. These were inked and attached with more 3D pads to the bottom right of the layout. I attached a seahorse charm under the last word. 

I cut a title and a shadow using the Cricut, I used Seaside Smiles paper for the top layer, and Great Escape paper for the shadow layer.

The 'Enjoy the moment' sentiment across the top of the photos is from the Journal Bits pack.

That's all for today, I'll be back with more from this collection soon, 
Thanks for looking
Lynn x